Wow Dick Gordon

By Norman Bordadora
Philippine Daily Inquirer

PRESIDENT Macapagal-Arroyo has been badly served by her advisers who came up with such ill-advised and divisive policies as the calibrated pre-emptive response to rallies and the prohibition of Masses for the opposition in the churches near Malacañang, an administration senator said yesterday.

“The President should fire some of her advisers. They are letting [non-issues] become issues,” Sen. Richard Gordon said at the weekly Kapihan sa Sulo breakfast forum.

In remarks to reporters after the forum, Gordon said the President was “very ill-advised.”

“She’s drawing more flak…. I look at Gloria as somebody on the ropes. The President is afraid to do anything,” he said.

Gordon asked why the administration could not just let the anti-Arroyo protesters be. He said government officials should not infringe on the freedom of expression.

As for the request of the Presidential Security Group commander, Brig. Gen. Delfin Bangit, for the churches near the Palace to disallow Masses attended by anti-Arroyo forces, Gordon said Bangit “should have consulted lawyers, good lawyers.”

“A leadership that is afraid cannot lead…. A poor leadership that is afraid cannot make changes,” he said.

Gordon said the President should meet with the opposition.

“We already know what we disagree about. Let’s talk about what we can agree on,” he said.

Gordon said there were five things that Ms Arroyo should do to show that she was doing something concrete for the people.

He said the President should run after criminals, generate jobs by shifting the budget priorities to tourism and trade, boost tax collection, close the gap in education and health, and make the government “fast, fair, firm, friendly and forward-looking.”

“The government must stop going around the ropes and start hitting the right spots,” Gordon said.

http://news.inq7.net/nation/index.php?index=1&story_id=54969

Senator Richard Gordon yesterday urged President Arroyo to immediately address five urgent concerns "to prove her sincerity in governing the nation."

"The President needs to show that she is doing something concrete for the people," said Gordon, adding, "and so I propose the five things that PGMA should do right away."

Gordon enumerated the five things that PGMA should do: 1) run after the criminals – the smugglers, kidnappers, and drug traffickers; 2) generate jobs – shift budget to tourism and trade, the two main fund-generating departments of the country; 3) boost up tax collection and tax the "wants and not the needs;" 4) close the social gap in education and health; and 5) make the government "fast, fair, firm, friendly, and forward-looking in public service."

"The government must stop going around the ropes and should start hitting the right spots," said Gordon. According to Gordon, the ongoing Senate investigation on smuggling, for instance, has exposed the amount of money that the government has lost because of rampant illegal importation of right-hand drive vehicles. He said that having obtained the correct information, the government must now do the necessary action and run after the smugglers.

He also emphasized that the people need more job opportunities to empower them. So he proposed an additional budget for the promotion of tourism and for generation of foreign investments instead of focusing on debt servicing saying that, "what we have right now is a defensive budget that doesn’t prepare us for economic growth."

Gordon also reiterated his call not to tax power, cooking fuel, and processed food but to impose instead a tax on text messages.

"Let us tax the wants and not the needs," Gordon said emphasizing that, "we won’t die from less text messages while many will suffer if more taxes will be imposed on LPG and processed food."

The Manila Bulletin, 25 October 2005

http://www.mb.com.ph/MTNN2005102547526.html

Transcript of Interview 10/6/2005
Usaping Balita Media Forum
Serye Restaurant, Quezon Memorial Circle, Q.C.

ON CALIBRATED PRE-EMPTIVE RESPONSE (CPR)

INTERVIEWER: Medyo seryoso itong nangyayari dahil araw-araw may pinapalo. Marami na po ang nasasaktan at nagagalit, ano ba talaga ang policy na ito ng PNP dito sa usapin ng CPR.

GORDON: Unang-una, dapat ang kapulisan should punish the guy na nambatok. Katulad ng nangyari sa La-Salle-FEU game sa UAAP, binatukan si Arwin Santos, yari siya. Dapat ganoon kabilis. Yan ang kagandahan ng media, nakitang masama ang ginawa, hulihin natin—kung ako ang Mayor d’yan ikukulong ko agad iyan. In fact, the PLEBs (Peoples Law Enforcement Boards) can act there. Kapag nakita ka sa ganyang maling gawain sa mga pulis, kulong ka. But wala akong nakikitang ganyan. That makes it wrong.

May rules tayo at kung gusto ninyong magbago ‘yung rules dahil sinasabi ninyo na inuupuan ng mayor yung request para sa permit, kung sinasabi ninyo na gusto ninyo sa lahat ng lugar at hindi sa freedom park, then it is for the Supreme Court to interpret the law of the land not us kundi there will be anarchy.

Pangalawa, dapat ang pulis may tungkulin at ang rallyist ay may tungkulin din. Hindi lahat karapatan lang. Kapag lumalakad ka sa kalye hindi ka pwedeng pigilin. Hindi ka naman pwedeng mag-rally sa kalye sapagkat you are disturbing the rights of the others na. But on the other hand, kapag humingi ka ng permit at hindi ka binibigyan matagal ng mayor, dalhin mo kaagad sa korte. That is the way democracy works.

Nasa sidewalk ka. That is not a crime. You have the right to walk on the sidewalk and to walk on the streets but you cannot stop and stop the traffic to the prejudice of everybody. Kung ganoon ng gagawin mo hahanapan ka talaga ng permit. Ngayon, ang kailangan d’yan, ayoko ng maximum tolerance. Ayokong CPR. Ang CPR is life threatening not life saving.

May rules tayo at kung gusto ninyong magbago ‘yung rules dahil sinasabi ninyo na inuupuan ng mayor yung request para sa permit, kung sinasabi ninyo na gusto ninyo sa lahat ng lugar at hindi sa freedom park, then it is for the Supreme Court to interpret the law of the land not us kundi there will be anarchy.

I will even question the term CPR in the law itself because para bang pabor pa sa atin na tino-tolerate tayo kapag nag-rarali tayo. Hindi tama iyan. Dapat i-withdraw ‘yan. In fact I am going to ask the police, hihingiin ko sa kapulisan na alisin ninyo iyan CPR na sinasabi ninyong ‘yan. Wala kayong karapatan magsabi ng ganyan and the mere fact that you are saying that, you are already threatening the rights of the people to express themselves as an association or as an individual.

Alam ninyo dati naman akong demonstrator sa UP. Student council ako sa UP noong First Quarter Storm. Nakikita ko naman ang mga kasama ko na talagang minumura ang pulis pero syempre wag kayong mapipikon. Kaya nga lumabas ang tolerance, pinagpapasensyahan. Tungkulin ninyo iyon pero kapag pinalo ninyo ang demostrador that is going beyond. You are supposed to be the guardian of the law. You cannot break the law to enforce the law. So dapat kaagad tawagin ang pulis na iyon, lagyan agad ng administrative sanction and if necessary fire him if he has to be fired but people must know about it.

INTERVIEWER: Okey bawal yung pumalo pero sana ipagbawal din yung pagsapak, pagsipa at pagsakal.

Gen. SILVERIO ALARCIO: Doon sa aming hanay ay ginagawa na namin ang tamang hakbang upang maiwasan itong mga ganito. Alam po ninyo kanina nag-announce po ang ating Director NCR na bawal na ‘yung batuta sa mga CDM kase nakikita niya na ginagamit na pamukpok. So this is a positive response from the police. I think tama po yung sinabi ng ating good senator na both sides ay may responsibilidad. Hindi lang ang pulis ang gagawa ng hakbang upang maiwasan ang mga iyan kundi pati yung kabila.

GORDON: Dapat seguro general maipakita ninyo agad kung ano ang ginawa ninyo sa mga pulis na ‘yan . Iyan ang dapat makita. Kung mabilis kayong umaksiyon ay magkakaroon kayo ng credibility dahil sinasabi ninyo na ito ang tamang aksiyon. Hindi pwedeng sabihin na wala ng batuta. No. Hindi naman pwedeng walang proteksiyon ang pulis sapagkat kung minsan binabato din ang pulis pero kapag nagkamali ang pulis, huli ka, out ka strike out ka. Iyan ang dapat.

GEN ALARCIO: Gagawin po natin iyan at ipa-follow up natin ang investigation na mangyayari and we will inform kung ano ang hakbang at ginawang sanction doon sa nagkasala.

INTERVIEWER: Pero sana nga ipagbawal ang pagpalo at pagsipa ang nakita natin kahapon.

GORDON: The commanding officer has the right to discipline him right away and to tell the public that this guy is the one. I saw him on tv, suspendido ka. Nakaposas kaagad.

INTERVIEWER: Senador bibigyan ba ninyo ng timetable si General Silverio Alarcio, Jr hanggang mamamaya o hanggang bukas?

GORDON: Nasa batas iyan. Si General Querol at yung mga direct commander officer can immediately conduct rather than an investigation but punishment, suspension even summary dismissal.

Pero dapat din naman na yung mga leaders ay makipag-usap din sa matataas na pulis para malaman kung ano ang dapat maging rules of engagement.

Cong. ETTA ROSALES: I think dapat bilisan natin sa Senado at sa Kamara ang investigation at dapat umaksiyon ang pulis kaagad. May batas kaming ginagawa tungkol dyan.

INTERVIEWER: Malabo yata yung investigation dahil mayroong EO 464. Paano maiimbetahan itong pulis?

GORDON: Ang kailangan d’yan ay wag na tayong mag-imbestiga. Kapag ang pulis hindi ginawa iyan, walang budget. Actually hindi na kailangan iyan. Ang pulis ang dapat gumalaw. Alam ko na matitino naman ang ibang general d’yan. Pwede naman i-dismiss kaagad iyan o isuspinde pero dapat makita ng tao na hindi ginagawa iyan.

ON ANTI-TERRORISM BILL

INTERVIEWER: Ano po ba ang mangyayari dito sa anti-terrorism bill sa Senado?

GORDON: Galing ako sa tourism. I have already promoted this country for business in Subic and I have promoted this country for tourism. Marami tayong taong walang hanapbuhay na umaasa sa investments at turismo.

I sympathize right now doon sa Bali. Talagang basag ang pinggan nila because of terrorism. There was terrorism in Bali last time at nakita ko ang mga waiter ay umiiyak at ang sabi nila natigil ang kanilang mga anak sa paga-aral. Wala pa d’yan ang mga taong namatay.

One of the things worth considering is the air force bill. Yung sinasabi ko na tinanggal nila ang air force has made us more vulnerable. Pwedeng kumuha ng isang Learjet o mag-rent, bombahin, kargahan ng explosives at ibangga iyan doon sa Malampaya(oil depot). Sabog iyan.

Wala tayong terrorist law. In principle I am in favor of it because iyan ang bagong threat sa buong mundo and we have to have an anti-terrorism bill. And you know ibang usapan iyan. I am in the Red Cross at inihanda ko ang Red Cross.

Mayroon kaming rescue truck ngayon because of this terrorist and massive disasters that are happening para mapasok namin yung nasusunog at natambakan. Kompleto iyan ng bagong kagamitan for search and rescue. Mayroon pang tv scanner na nabili. Talagang nag-invest kami d’yan.

We have to have a law against terrorism. If we do not have a law against terrorism, we are exposing our people to harm. So long as we protect the rights of the accused, so long as we don’t allow the State to do illegal things, I think, we can be imaginative enough to craft an anti-terrorism bill and I think we will do that in the Senate.

By Sheila Crisostomo, The Philippine Star 10/06/2005

The Philippines ranked fourth among the top 10 countries hardest hit by disasters in 2004, Red Cross chairman and Sen. Richard Gordon said yesterday.

Citing the International Disaster Database, Gordon noted the Philippines landed in fourth because of the 13 natural disasters that hit the country last year. China topped the list with 25 disasters, followed by the United States with 22 while Indonesia ranked third with 18. Japan was fifth on the list with 12, followed by Turkey with 10; Bangladesh, 10; Nigeria, nine; and Thailand and Russia, eight each.

The record showed that floods and storms were the most common natural disasters that occurred in 2004 while epidemics and earthquakes were responsible for a third and fourth of the disasters, respectively.

The Philippines also registered the fourth highest death toll of 1,619 in a single disaster. This occurred during super typhoon "Winnie," which devastated the Quezon and Aurora provinces late last year. The 12 countries affected by the tsunami in December 2004 accounted for 226,408 deaths, followed by Haiti with 2,754 deaths caused by hurricane Jeanne in September 2004 and Haiti again with 2,665 deaths caused by flooding in May and June 2004.

The database was created by the World Health Organization’s Collaborating Center for Research on the Epidemiology of Disasters to rationalize decision-making for disaster preparedness. It contains essential information on the occurrence and effects of over 12,800 mass disasters across the world from 1900 to the present.

Gordon admitted that the Philippines is "not thoroughly prepared" for disasters but efforts to modernize the Philippine National Red Cross (PNRC) are now underway.

"Nobody can really be prepared. Look at the United States. They thought they were prepared" before hurricane Katrina struck, he told reporters. But Gordon boasted that during a recent meeting of Southeast Asian Red Cross leaders in the Philippines, the country was recognized as one of the best in Southeast Asia in terms of disaster preparedness, response and management capability.

"That’s why the Disaster Training and Logistic Center (of the International Red Cross) will be put up here in the Philippines. I really worked hard to get it here. It means that international people will come here to train people and stockpile equipment," he added.

Gordon is eyeing the former US military base in Subic Naval Base in Olongapo City as the site of the center.

Yesterday, Gordon presented before the media a locally assembled 16-wheeler "Disaster Response Truck" that is fully equipped with various equipment used in rescue operations. He said that with the equipment, trained staff and volunteers of the Philippine National Red Cross (PNRC) would be able to respond to all types of accidents and disasters.

The truck contains modern apparatus like a search camera which is used to find people buried under rubble and tools that can easily cut through iron bars to free trapped victims